Middling Internet Speed in the Country That Invented the Internet

When it comes to average Internet connection speeds, the United States is, well…average. According to a new survey by Akamai Technologies, and reported on the Royal Pingdom blog, the U.S. ranks 12th in Internet speed, behind such countries as Canada, the Czech Republic, Japan and even Romania. The survey ranks the top 50 countries with the most Internet users.

Although the U.S. ranks second in number of users overall (behind #1 China), the country has an average speed of 4.60 megabits per second. South Korea is the overall speed champion, with an average speed of 16.63 megabits per second, but ranking eleventh in number of users. America’s middling speed ranking is rather embarrassing for the country that invented the Internet, and thinks of itself as exceptional in just about everything. Improving Internet connection speed is important if we want to continue to innovate as a country. Hopefully, now that the Federal Communications Commission has completed its national broadband plan earlier this year, America can concentrate on catching up.